Lead UX/UI Designer (Contract)

Who We Are | Ko wai mātou 

We are Theta, a New Zealand-owned technology consultancy helping organisations transform through technology. With offices in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Tauranga, we work with leading organisations across Aotearoa to deliver smart, pragmatic, and impactful digital solutions. 

About the Role | Mō tēnei tūranga mahi 

Are you an experienced Lead UX/UI Designer looking for a seat at the decision-making table? We have a rare contract opportunity to embed good design in a long-running programme of work. Part of this role is about advocating for and ensuring the quality at the governance board level. Your exceptional design skills will be needed, but we are also interested in your ability to articulate why something doesn’t look right and provide ways to fix it. Your ability as a consultant and trusted adviser means you enjoy helping customers make the best design decisions for their products and for their users. We estimate this contract to be at least 6 months.

You are a strategic thinker who appreciates the impact of changing an interface component across a suite of products.  

This is a senior role with considerable autonomy and influence. It is more than just designing; it is about fostering long-term relationships and helping ensure that what we release into production lives up to the design vision. 

You will be part of the Theta UX/UI design practice and will be hands-on with mentoring less experienced team members, but on a day-to-day basis, you will be working with senior stakeholders, developers, and project team members. 

What You Will Do | Ngā haepapa 

• Work with our clients to establish and maintain outstanding visual and interactive design 
• Proactively lead the governance of a design system, ensuring all teams have the resources and guidance they need. 
• Work with stakeholders to understand the impact of design changes across multiple products. 
• Estimate design effort and impact of interface improvements for existing apps 
• Participate in proposals and help respond to new client opportunities 
• Mentor junior developers and share knowledge within the team 
• Stay up to date with design trends and tools 

What You’ll Bring | Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako 

Must-Have: 

• 10+ years of commercial experience in interface design for web and mobile apps 
• IT consultancy or design agency experience 
• Demonstrable experience guiding and influencing stakeholder opinions about user experience and interface design 
• Superb communication and collaboration skills 
• Deep interest in the large-scale application of design systems 
• Hands-on experience with  responsive design and  accessibility standards 
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset 
• Right to work in NZ  

Nice-to-Have: 

• Formal design training 
• Experience using design tokens and keeping consistency between the design assets in Figma and in code. 
• Strong understanding of  HTML5, and CSS

About us | Mō mātou

Our team of 280+ experts span software development, data and insights, cloud transformation, integration, cyber security, and more. We’re proud to be a Microsoft and AWS partner, and we’re deeply committed to inclusivity, sustainability, and Te Ao Māori. 

Our values are:   

• Our people are our greatest asset.  
• We conduct business ethically.  
• Invention, imagination and creativity are the foundation for growth.  
• We work with positive energy, enjoyment, humour and work/life balance.  
• Excellence is our passion, and we deliver what we promise – or more!  
• We strive to take a pragmatic approach to all of our activities  
• We value and appreciate our natural environment and seek to play our part to maintain it 

Benefits of working at Theta | Ngā hua ka puta i te mahi ki Theta

Theta offers a family friendly work environment with flexible work hours where practical; especially relevant for caregivers.

We embrace gender equality and are committed to providing a supportive, diverse and inclusive work environment throughout our workplace.

Theta is committed to giving back to the community and are avid supporters of Cure Kids. We compete in various adventure races and do many other things to raise money for Cure Kids. And we make time for the fun things in life!

We currently provide the following benefits to ensure your professional development and personal wellbeing:

• Professional growth and learning opportunities
• Competitive rates
• Hybrid working model (minimum 2 days in the office)
• Internal Referral Incentive
• Staff Assistance Programme
• Daily fresh fruit basket, coffee machine, wide selection of teas and biscuits in all of our offices.

Please note: We are only accepting applications from those already residing in Auckland with the relevant visas

All potential employees will be required to consent to a Ministry of Justice criminal record check.

Apply now | Tono ināianei